Hope and Courage
by PinkCandy-x
Summary: Daisuke finally decides to tell Takeru how he feels, but how will Takeru react to his confession? Rated M for possible lemon/lime. Contains yaoi. Please R&R!
1. I Love You

Hope and Courage

**Disclaimer: (Unfortunately) I don't own Digimon.**

**I hope you enjoy the story. =]**

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><p>'<em>Tonight is going to be the night<em>,' Daisuke thought as he ran around his living room, lighting candles, scattering rose petals and plumping up the cushions on his small sofa. '_It's now or never Dai - you can do this, you can do this, YOU CAN DO THIS!'_ He yelled mentally. It was an attempt to pump himself up but instead, a feeling worry and nausea ran through him. The chocolate haired boy sat down, moving and flattening the cushions he had spent so long getting perfect, and put his hands to his face.

"I can't do this…" Daisuke moaned pathetically, running his tanned fingers through his spiky hair in despair. Numerous thoughts passed in his mind, and the nineteen year old stood up, wondering if he should just call Takeru and cancel the whole evening. He picked up the receiver, and dialled his crush's phone number, a number he, of course, knew off by heart. Like everything else to do with the blond haired boy, the phone number was etched into Daisuke's memory. He allowed the phone to ring twice before quickly slamming it down and scolding himself, '_you WILL do this, you bloody idiot, you've spent long enough fantasising and wondering about whether or not he would love you back - tonight is going to be the night you find out!' _Indeed, Daisuke had fancied Takeru for the past three years now, and the initial lust and infatuation had grown into something more serious and special. Daisuke thought that it might be love he felt for his best friend, but he continuously chose to deny that possibility. Sure enough, if Takeru did reject him, it would be easier for Daisuke to handle if he just liked him rather than loved him.

Daisuke quickly went back to work, fixing the cushions so they were perfect once more. He was in the process of plumping up his favourite red velvet cushion and hoping the dinner he cooked was good enough when the doorbell rang. Daisuke straightened himself rigidly, and his mind went into a state of panic. '_What if he doesn't feel the same? What if he hates me? What if he never wants to see me again? What if-_' Daisuke shook his head violently, successfully removing these thoughts, and whilst he attempted to gussy up his hair, he also attempted to calm himself, '_you won't know his reaction until you tell him Daisuke… don't worry about it for now, take the evening as it comes, just take the evening as it comes…_'

"Yeah… take the evening as it comes…" Daisuke sighs, as he walks over to the front door and opens it.

"Hey Dai -I'm so sorry I'm late but I ended up getting caught in the rain after work and had to go home and change, and then I drove a little robin with a broken wing to the wildlife centre after I found him lying there in my garden this evening, and _then _I got stuck in traffic on my way over! I'm so sorry I'm late, I know it's so unlike me but today has just been-"

"Hey, hey! Calm down Takeru!" Daisuke chuckled at his distressed crush, who hadn't paused for breath since coming inside the warm house. "It's fine, I'm just happy you made it here…" Daisuke said softly. Takeru looked at him oddly, for his best friend had acquired a tone which sounded stressed and saddened.

"Is everything OK, Dai? Has anything happened?" Takeru's voice was full of concern, and all Daisuke wanted to do was kiss him, tell him the truth about his feelings and hope that Takeru felt the same. But he didn't, and instead he forced a smile onto his face to stop the blond one from worrying about him. It seemed to work, as the child of hope visibly relaxed at seeing Daisuke's cheeky grin.

"Wow… you have really gone to town with the decorating," Takeru giggled, looking around the living room at the candles and rose petals. "The place looks really nice Dai."

"Yeah… I know you do," Daisuke said breathlessly, gazing at Takeru's lean body and outfit - his black jeans made his legs look even slimmer and longer, and he wore a navy blue pinstripe shirt which emphasised his azure eyes and golden hair.

"What?" Takeru questioned, a small frown etched upon his face, not quite catching what his best friend had said.

Daisuke panicked and stuttered, "I mean, um, you, um, umm… yy-yeah I know you think the place looks nice, who wouldn't after all? That's what I said… yeah…" Daisuke looked at Takeru, worry clear in his deep chocolate eyes as he hoped his crush hadn't heard exactly what he had said. Luckily, Takeru didn't continue the conversation, but he did survey Daisuke's face, wondering what on earth was up with the football star. "Anyway!" laughed Daisuke uneasily, "I shall go and get the cocktails so we can get this dinner party started!" With that, Daisuke left the living room and went into the small, yet clean, kitchen.

As they rarely saw each other due to work and other commintments, it was agreed that once a month Daisuke and Takeru would get together for a dinner party, with the role of host alternating between them. However, it was mainly Daisuke that hosted - his cooking skills were a lot better than his crush's and he sometimes feared eating whatever the blond 'created.' Tonight, Daisuke's catering skills were being tested to the maximum, as he had prepared a seven course meal in the hope it would create a more romantic atmosphere and subsequently make Takeru feel romantic towards the chef who had cooked it.

"Dinner's nearly ready!" Daisuke called from the kitchen, disturbing his guest who was watching 'Ronin Warriors' on the small television. Takeru got up and smoothed his shirt whilst making his way to the table, where the centre piece was a bouquet of red roses surrounded by small candles.

"Right… here's the amuse-bouche - a pea and mint soup," Daisuke said, flouncing into the room and setting the soup down on the table for both he and his best friend.

"Aww Dai, this is amazing," smiled Takeru. It was lovely to _finally _have a home-cooked meal - and a good one at it. The blue eyed boy was sick of the microwave meals he was forced to eat due to his atrocious cooking skills, so he slurped the soup up happily. Daisuke noticed that a bit of soup had accidentally gotten on Takeru's chin, and he felt himself getting turned on slightly as he imagined himself sucking the soup off Takeru, and then kissing his sweet lips as he slid his tongue inside the warmth of his mouth. Daisuke shook his head violently to remove the dirty thoughts. '_I can't think about this now… not with him in the room,_' but he decided to save the thoughts and images for later tonight.

After the first three courses, it was time for the palate cleanser. As Daisuke went into the kitchen to get the lemon sorbet, he thought, '_this is it. This is the time to tell him._' He gulped heavily and wiped the sweat from his forehead. '_Breathe Daisuke… breathe…" _he told himself as he went into the living room with the sorbets. Takeru smiled up at Daisuke as he entered. He was having a really enjoyable night with his clumsy friend, he hadn't remembered laughing so much in such a long time.

"Viola!" Daisuke said, placing the cleanser in front of Takeru. But, instead of sitting in his chair opposite the blond, he sat down next to his crush, his heart beating wildly. He wondered if Takeru could hear it. Daisuke turned a shade of pink, embarrassed and worrying about the reaction he would receive. '_Please,_' Daisuke prayed, '_please, please, please let him feel the same._' Although Takeru had known his best friend was homosexual for a number of years now and was supportive of it, how would he react if he knew he was the one the tanned man desired?

"Umm… Dai?" Takeru was looking intently at the bearer of courage, who seemed to be having an internal fight with himself. "You look troubled, what's wrong?"

Daisuke sighed heavily and looked at the man next to him. '_I'm doing this now…_' Daisuke inhaled sharply and, "Takeru, I… I…"

"What Daisuke?" The large blue eyes were filled with concern and worry for the brunette, and he touched Daisuke's shoulder to comfort him. "Daisuke," Takeru said softly, "you can tell me anything."

Daisuke looked at the pale yet angelic hand touching his shoulder. "Takeru…," Daisuke sighed, "I love you."

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><p><strong>Please review, it would be much appreciated. =]<strong>


	2. Seven Months

**Disclaimer: (Unfortunately) I don't own Digimon.**

**I hope you enjoy the story. =]**

**Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews. =] I just really hope this chapter can live up to expectation. Sorry if it's taken me a while to update. Hope you enjoy. x**

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><p>It had been seven months since Daisuke had told Takeru he loved him. Seven months since the brunette had poured out his emotions. Seven months since Takeru had silently walked out. Seven months that were filled with pain and sorrow…<p>

Daisuke sat alone in the Blue Cap bar, his head down and his fingers curled around a vodka and coke. He briefly heard the jazz band playing 'Feeling Good' by Nina Simone but his head felt fuzzy and dizzy. "_I sure as hell don't feel good…"_ Despite the shooting pain he felt in his head as he sat up and drank the remainder of the mixer, he couldn't help but like the taste of it. The warmth of the vodka trickled down his throat, causing a burning sensation within his stomach that made him feel content, but as this small amount of happiness didn't last long, he found himself ordering another double shot of vodka - this time without the coke.

"Daisuke, I think this should be your last drink," Kaori said softly yet firmly. Daisuke looked at the barwoman angrily, his bloodshot eyes taking in all of her features including her full pink lips, large purple eyes and her black ringlet hair.

"I think _I _should decide when my last drink should be, _I_ know my limits, _you_ do not," the brunette replied snidely, downing his vodka in one go. "There!" Daisuke slammed the empty glass on the counter. "Another if you would." Kaori looked at him sadly; he was a broken man that was getting worse every time he came into the bar, but she poured him another glass of vodka for she worried about his reaction if she refused. "Thank you," Daisuke said, as he stood up and walked over to where the band were playing.

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><p>Like Daisuke, Takeru gulped down the rest of his drink - Malibu on the rocks - and watched as Rebecca slowly wrapped her mouth around his member. "<em>Ha… English girls are so easy…<em>" the blond thought blissfully, as he watched the tanned, brunette girl on her knees sucking and licking him. "Rebecca…" Takeru moaned, running his pale fingers through her long hair whilst violently thrusting himself further into her mouth. Rebecca's hand reached up to fondle him, causing the male to moan louder with excitement, but before she could attempt to pleasure him more, Takeru grabbed her hand and forced her to stand up. Pushing his tongue into her mouth and cupping one of her large breasts, he nudged her small yet curvy body towards his single bed, biting her neck before throwing her down onto the soft mattress, whereby he then lay on top of her.

Already naked from their foreplay, Rebecca wrapped her smooth legs around Takeru's waist and drew his head down to kiss her again. Their tongues collided and they moaned eagerly, wanting to feel more of each other. This encounter wasn't meant to be passionate and loving, it was meant to be rough and animalistic, acting on instinct alone. "Now Takeru," Rebecca panted, as the pale man pleasured her with his fingers, "I want you _now_." Takeru smiled and manoeuvred his body to create the beast with two backs.

Half an hour later, Takeru stood in his bathroom. In the harsh bright light, he squinted at his reflection in the cabinet mirror. He looked tired and unhappy, dark circles forming under his eyes from too many women and not enough sleep during the last seven months. However, he did have one thing to be happy about. "At least it proves I'm straight," the blond said proudly, as he heard Rebecca roll over in her sleep. He smiled happily and looked at himself again, but this time his azure eyes had a hint of sadness, "at least it proves I'm not a fairy…" he continued softly. He switched off the light and padded softly into his bedroom, gathering a spare blanket and pillow from his wardrobe before he headed into the living room to sleep on the sofa. After all, how could two people sleep in a single bed?

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><p>Daisuke opened his front door and walked into the apartment, switching on his radio as usual for companionship. He winced as the music filling the room added to his pounding headache, and as he went into the kitchen to fill a glass of whisky, he heard Metallica's 'Nothing Else Matters' playing. "For God's sake!" Daisuke said angrily. "How am I supposed to get over him when I hear bloody love songs playing every five minutes!" The brunette slouched to the tiled floor in despair and put his hands to his face.<p>

'_Why have you hurt me, my Takeru?'_ Daisuke thought sadly. '_Why haven't I seen you since I told you how I felt? Why haven't I heard from you? Spoken to you? Why are you ignoring me?_' Tears slid down the brunettes face and onto his blue shirt, "why don't you love me!" Daisuke yelled suddenly, and he furiously wiped the tears from his eyes. He quickly stood up and drank the whisky he poured - like the vodkas he had drunk in the Blue Cap, the Famous Grouse had made him feel slightly better. '_You're a heartbreaker Takeru,_' Daisuke thought bitterly, _'you didn't even have the decency to let me down easily. No, you just walked out! You couldn't care less about me, after all we've been through, shared and spoken about, you just leave me without a second thought! I hate you Takeru Takaishi! I hate you so much!_' As Daisuke struggled to walk to the bathroom, he briefly heard 'Sweet Child O' Mine' playing. Sighing deeply at this and switching on the bathroom light, he found the sharp razor on the edge of the bathtub that he had used so many times to channel his sadness and anger. In his drunken, pathetic state, Daisuke clumsily rolled up his sleeves and looked at the scars - some old, most new, some bumpy and others itchy, but the red cuts and dark brown scaring all contrasted greatly with his caramel skin. His caramel skin, which had gotten paler as his appetite decreased and drinking increased, looked almost greyish, '_but what do I care?_' Daisuke thought, '_I have no-one to impress._' Sighing again, he placed the razor on his arm like he had for the past seven months, and sliced.

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><p><strong>I hope this chapter was okay.<strong>

**Please review. =]**


	3. Friendship

**Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Digimon. If I did there would be a whole television series (+ film) about Daikeru, Taito and any other couple who takes my fancy. But alas, there isn't, so consequently I'm writing my fantasies here. It would be awesome if the script writers for Digimon did read my work though, and actually **_**take**_** it into consideration. Ah… false hope, but enough of my rant! =]**

**Also again, thank you everyone so much for your reviews and story alerts, etc. This chapter turned out to be quite a bit longer than what I wanted but hey, it's mainly dialogue so not so bad I guess! =] **

**A special thank you to KoumiLoccness, who is my first ever reviewer. As I promised, I included some couples I think you'd like. And whose roles will get bigger as the story progresses. =]**

**Enjoy everyone! Thank you so much for reading. xx**

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><p>"TAICHI! WHAT THE HELL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Daisuke yelled as the taller man whipped the duvet off of him.<p>

"_Isn't it obvious what I'm doing?"_ the wild hair boy had a look of confusion on his tanned face before replying, "I'm waking you up sleepy-head. Don't you remember we're supposed to be meeting the others for pizza?" Taichi questioned, looking at his friend with worry. Daisuke involuntarily shivered and groaned, disgruntled that his sleep had been disturbed by his senpai. Sitting up, he sighed heavily.

"That's _today? _For fu-"

"Hey! Mind your language Dai," Taichi cut him off abruptly and raised a smooth hand to silence him, "it's not _my _fault you forgot. Now get up, get showered and get dressed. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," he said, walking out. Daisuke scowled but then smiled briefly, thinking about his friend's fondness for food, before getting up and heading into the bathroom.

Gazing into the small mirror, Daisuke analysed his face. "_Damn, I need a shave_," he thought, running his caramel fingers over the stubble that had grown. Whilst attempting to remember the last time he had actually shaved, Daisuke caught a glance of his eyes, still bloodshot and swollen from last night at the Blue Cap. "They've lost their glow," Kaori had commented, which had puzzled Daisuke, "_why would she comment on my eyes?_" The brunette groaned and, remembering his wounds, carefully reapplied the plasters which had become on unstuck on his arms following the shower. Rolling down his sleeves, he debated whether or not to shave, deciding not to after he heard Taichi shouting at what the hell was taking him so long.

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><p>"Rocking the biker look today I see," Taichi observed, grinning down at the shorter man with interest.<p>

"Huh?" Daisuke glanced up, not quite understanding the statement.

"The stubble," Taichi grinned further, "you look like you haven't shaved in a month. I'm surprised it's not a beard yet!"

"Yes well, not everyone has hair that grows as much and as wildly as yours Taichi," the younger man said shortly. Taichi shrugged, but he noticed Daisuke's offhanded tone.

They were walking through the streets of Odaiba, and although it was four o'clock the sun was still shining brightly, casting a golden glow down on the town and creating shadow where buildings and trees allowed. Daisuke inhaled the floral air, the smell of lilac and rose petal wafting through him in response, as he gazed at the sea of faces around him - children screaming, teenagers chatting, mothers yelling, students studying, and… "_lovers kissing_," he noted sadly, looking away. Daisuke furrowed his brows in frustration as he looked ahead, "_why the hell am I even going to this meet-up? What if _he's _there? What if everyone knows what happened between us? Has he told anyone? I haven't told anyone. Does he think about me? Oh God, why am I going today? I can't face seeing people…_"

"Dai… Daii… DAI!"

"Huh!" Daisuke said once more, breaking out of his thoughts and turning to look at his companion. Taichi sighed lightly, but he wasn't angry at the nineteen year old, just concerned.

"I asked why I, or anyone else for that matter, hasn't seen you for so long?"

"Oh… umm… you know, work and study and stuff…" Daisuke said softly, but internally he panicked that Taichi had asked the question he was so unprepared for. The older boy lifted an eyebrow.

"Work you say? Hm…" Taichi surveyed his friend carefully. Although everyone thought he was an oblivious being, he did have a knack for reading people, "_hey, it's what got me past Yama's cold exterior and into his warm one after all_," he smiled slightly, the corners of his brown eyes crinkling slightly as he did so. Suddenly, the wild haired boy stopped abruptly and stood still, causing Daisuke to also stop. He looked into the younger boy's eyes carefully, and although Daisuke felt uncomfortable at this he didn't prevent Taichi from doing so, because if he did, it would show him that something was wrong.

After a minute of staring, Daisuke laughed and shifted nervously, "What on earth are you doing, Tai?" But the elder kept staring at him, willing Daisuke to talk to him, and _tell_ him what was on his mind.

"Something's wrong. Tell me." Taichi stated simply, finally releasing Daisuke from his gaze.

"There's nothi-"

"_Tell _me," Taichi repeated firmly. Daisuke's eyes darted around worriedly, unable to settle on Taichi's face. Finally, he sighed deeply. Despite the fact Daisuke rarely saw his senpai, he trusted him and hoped Taichi could help him get over Takeru. It had been months of pure hell, and Daisuke wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with it.

"Well…" and Daisuke began to tell the other tanned man about what had happened seven months ago, of course leaving the parts out about the Blue Cap and razor.

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><p>They carried on walking to the shopping centre in silence. "<em>How the fuck could Takeru do this! It's so unlike him<em>," Taichi fumed, vowing to have a serious talk with Yamato about his brother tonight. He looked at Daisuke and felt both anger and protectiveness. "_Why the hell would he allow Takeru to treat him this way? Takeru's not even homophobic or anything!_" he thought, confused as to why the bearer of hope had reacted that way. "_Ergh!_" Looking at Daisuke again, he grabbed him quickly and pulled him into a hug. Daisuke felt tears well up in his eyes as he tried to remember the last time anyone had tried to comfort him. Blinking fast, he wrapped his thinner arms around the taller man and returned the embrace with happiness. They pulled away soon after and continued walking, although one thing puzzled Daisuke though…

"Tai… how did you get into my house this morning?" The wild haired brunette just laughed and tapped his nose. He wasn't about to tell Daisuke he had come through an open window after all.

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><p>"Wow… he looked pretty awful," Sora commented. The original Digidestined, minus Takeru and plus Miyako and Iori, nodded in agreement. They were still sat in the pizza parlour, discussing Daisuke since he had left them ten minutes ago. Yamato slid up next to his boyfriend and played with his blond hair, twisting strands of it round his index finger - something which caught Taichi by surprise, "<em>he <em>never _messes up his hair_."

"This is so unlike T.K," Yamato murmurs, looking at the table. "You don't think he could be homoph-"

"No," Taichi stated firmly, "there's no way he _could_ be. He accepts you and I now, doesn't he." Yamato said nothing, but his azure eyes held a gleam of sadness. In response, Taichi placed an arm around Yamato's pale, lithe body and looked at the others. "So… what should we do to help him? We can't have him upset like this can we, it's been long enough!" Just after Daisuke had left, Taichi had told the group about his problem, knowing they would want to help in any way they could. And he hadn't been wrong.

"Well…," Mimi began in her high pitched voice, placing her hand on Koushiro's and squeezing it tightly, "we could always try to get them together." Miyako agreed eagerly, as she always did when Mimi suggested an idea.

"We don't even know if he's homosexual Meems. How will that work if he isn't? And anyway, you heard what Tai said, Takeru took Dai's declaration in a _very_ bad way, we can't just go round pushing them together," Jou commented, making the group sigh in realisation of this.

"Wait! We don't know for _certain_ that he's straight! We could always get Yama to ask, then we can know for sure," Taichi smiled broadly, looking at his boyfriend with hope, who looked back at him, irritated.

"Won't that be a strange conversation? 'Hey T.K! Tell me, are you gay?' A bit random, no? You don't think he'll find it suspicious that I'm suddenly asking him about his preferences?" Yamato questioned, rolling his eyes.

"Well, just don't phrase it in that manner. Drop a hint or something, get him to tell you what he likes," Taichi replied, ignoring his boyfriend's edgy tone.

"Yeah, be subtle! You've always been good at that!" Mimi chimed in, happy she might get to play cupid again and hopefully match-make Daisuke and Takeru. "_It'll be just like when I set up Jou and Sora_," she thought happily, smiling.

"We could always do it this way," Koushiro said, running his fingers through his red hair, "we could get Yamato to ask Takeru if he's straight or gay, and as that could take a while, whilst he's doing that the rest of us could come up with a plan to get them together. By doing so, we are making the process quicker. I can't stand seeing Daisuke so disheartened…" Upon finishing his sentence, Mimi clapped and pecked her boyfriend on the cheek.

"That's _such_ a perfect idea! You're so amazing!" she cooed, causing Koushiro's cheeks to match his hair colour.

"Yeah, although that's a great plan and all, what if T.K.'s not gay? _Then_ what do we do?"

"Jou you're such a pessimistic! Worst comes to worst, T.K's not gay and we've come up with a plan we won't use. At least we could say we tried. I mean, you _saw_ how rough and upset Dai looked earlier, this is putting a lot of strain on him!" Sora exclaimed. Taichi grinned and looked around the group.

"So! Do we all agree we'll do what Koushiro just said?" Every head nodded, even Jou's - albeit reluctantly. "Great!" Taichi smiled and he began dictating the tasks at hand, "so, my Yama, you will talk to T.K. about his sexuality whilst the rest of us come up with a plan to get them together. Hopefully, by the time we all meet up again, we'd have a plan in place and Yama would tell us the happy news that T.K is gay!"

"This is so exciting!" Mimi giggled, "by the time the year is up they _will_ be together!"

Again, Yamato rolled his eyes, "_Am _I _the only one who understands that Takeru might not be gay? He would have _said _if he was…_" But he then smiled along with the others, as he, of course, also believed that Daisuke and Takeru would make a lovely couple - just like him and Taichi.

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><p><strong>Again, I hope this chapter was good!<strong>

**Please review! =] x**


	4. Brothers

**Disclaimer: I never have and never will own Digimon. Unless they manage to go bankrupt and put it up for sale for no more than a tenner, in which case I would buy it and have everything go the way I want it to! But again, false hopes and dreams…**

**This chapter contains gay bashing! You have been warned. **

**Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, puts my story on alert, favourites etc. It means a lot to me that my writing is being enjoyed by others, so yah, thank you! =] Hope you enjoy this chapter too, sorry for the long update! =] xx**

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><p>Hastily putting his key in the front door and stumbling inside the apartment he shared with his boyfriend, the bearer of friendship collapsed beside his lover. "<em>How could she? How could she? How could she?<em>" Yamato felt dizzy as he placed his pale hands to his head, attempting to hold it together for fear of it splitting apart. "_How could she, how could she, how could she?_" Letting out a long, drawn out wail, the blond batted away the tanned arms attempting to comfort him. "_How could she?_" Ignoring the pleas Taichi made to tell him what happened, Yamato sunk into the sofa and drew his legs up, still holding his hands to his head, refusing to let go. "_How could she?_" Tears ran down his face and frustration, anger and hurt swelled in his heart, "_how could she?"_ Unaware of the strong arms pulling him closer, he felt the brunette's hair tickling his cheek, "I hate her Taichi. I fucking hate her," he spluttered.

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><p>Sat at the small, oak table, Takeru glanced around his living room, observing everything but absorbing nothing. His eyes were red and his head felt cloudy. The apartment was dark, but the moon shone through the blinds in the kitchen, creating sharp, frightening shadows. The young blond looked down at his hands, which were involuntarily wringing themselves, and as he groaned quietly harsh pains ran through his head. His once bright eyes were now dead, all the light and hope he once had were gone. Attempting to stand, Takeru felt his trembling legs buckle and he slunk back down into the wooden chair, once again observing the apartment. His eyes meek and his body tired after seeing Yamato, the blond began to weep.<p>

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><p>"<em>I can't believe this," Natsuko stated to Megumi, blowing a hazy smoke ring before stubbing out her cigarette. Megumi murmured in agreement and took a sip of coffee whilst her best friend lit up another. "See, this even has me fucking chain smoking! That filthy fag." Blowing another smoke ring, Natsuko began to pace up and down the kitchen, her eyebrows knitted and her eyes two slits as she glared.<em>

"_It's sickening! It's absolutely disgusting. Who knows what diseases that slag has got? Men fucking men and people are OKAY with it? Christ, this world has gone insane. And Hiroaki actually expects me to be understanding? To put my arms around that fag and tell him everything will be fine and dandy? Ha, give me a damn break. He will _never _step foot in my house again and I will _never _see his face again so help me God!" Natsuko again stubbed out the cigarette and made her way to the large kitchen window which overlooked the playground. _

"_I hope none of these children grow up to be like… them…" Natsuko shuddered and recoiled, she felt acid dripping from her tongue and anger growing inside her. "Yamato… that fucking faggot!" she exasperated, before lowering her voice and continuing, "Megumi… he's been fucking that Taichi child for the past two years now! He's lucky that he's bloody eighteen now, because he won't be getting any sort of financial help from me. Bloody fairy. I haven't even told you how he told me, have I Megumi?" Megumi shook her head, her black curls bouncing. _

"_Well!" Natsuko huffed, "three days ago, Hiroaki and it_ _came bounding into my apartment…" _

_Takeru walked away from where his mother continued to tell the story about that night, tears threatening to fall from his azure eyes. 'She can't see me cry, she can't see me cry,' He held that thought until he closed his bedroom door and collapsed onto the bed, clutching the stuffed blue teddy-bear Yamato had given him before they were separated as children. As he curled into a small ball and cuddled the toy close to his chest, the young blond began to sob silently, salty tears running down his glistening face as blond wisps of hair stuck to his wet cheeks. He could hear his mother in the kitchen yelling now as she explained the 'situation' to Megumi, as he rocked soothingly back and forth gently. "I'll never hate you Yama… you'll always have me…" Takeru snivelled more when he remembered his mother slapping Yamato, her long fingernails causing his cheek to bleed. She had wanted to lash out further, but luckily Hiroaki had restrained her. The bearer of hope would never forget the look on Yamato's face as he ran out of the apartment clutching his cheek, eyes distraught and golden hair rumpled - his big brother looked vulnerable and scared, a sight Takeru never wanted to see again._

_Turning over, Takeru gazed up at the ceiling, observing the cracked, white paint as he listened to his mother finally calming down. He closed his eyes quickly, squeezing them hard enough to hurt his eyelids, 'I will not cry again,' he stated, as he fluttered his eyelids open. But his face contorted as he remembered the words Natsuko had said to him after her violent outburst with Yamato._

"_Takeru, you are my only son now. I thank God you're not one of them. You are not a fairy, and you will not be a disappointment to me. You will get married and have beautiful children. You will not be like that scum."_

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><p>Her words had been burned into the young blonds head since that night, and he had spent every single day for the past three years trying to crush the passion he felt for his best friend.<p>

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><p>Lying in bed later that night, Taichi's warm arms wrapped protectively around him, Yamato lay awake, glancing at the clock as each minute passed by. Takeru had told him <em>everything<em> when Yamato went round to demand why no-one ever saw him, why Daisuke was so distressed and finally, what his sexual orientation was. The bearer of friendship groaned and sighed, cuddling further into his boyfriend. "_I hate her_." His shoulders tensed and his eyes narrowed. For three years Takeru had been forced to suppress his feelings and live a lie because he was worried about being disowned by his mother. "_I hate her._" Hearing Taichi snore quietly next to him, the blond relaxed, rolled out of Taichi's grip and onto his back. He still didn't know if Takeru was gay or not, not for certain anyway, and he still didn't know if it was Daisuke who Takeru had fancied three years ago, but what he did know was that they were both possibilities, and that Takeru was a lot stronger than what he and most people thought. Suddenly, he felt Taichi cuddle him again, his muscular arms wrapped even tighter around him than before.

"Don't you think I didn't notice when you rolled away from me, Yama," Taichi whispered sleepily into the blonds ear. "Now stay here, and give me a kiss…"

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><p><strong>Hmmm… I'm not too sure about this chapter. I found it pretty hard to write, and kept erasing parts and adding parts, etc, etc, so I hope it was okay to read.<strong>

**Again, please review. And thank you to all the reviewers who always do. =] xx**


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